The NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) has condemned the murder of 28-year-old Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital doctor, Dr. Atughanile Chomo, whose body was found at her home in Mount Pleasant, Blantyre, on July 7.
In a statement released today, NGO-GCN Chairperson Maggie Kathewera Banda called for a swift and thorough investigation into the killing, noting that it comes less than eight months after the fatal shooting of Dr. Victoria Bobe in Chigumula.
The network has urged the government to declare violence against women a national emergency by strengthening gender-based violence laws, improving security, protecting health workers, and expediting the prosecution of GBV-related cases.
"As a network of organisations committed to gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence, we wish to state in the strongest possible terms that the killing of a woman, whether in her home or workplace, is an affront to the Constitution of Malawi," reads part of the statement.
NGO-GCN has also called on the judiciary, traditional leaders, and religious leaders to take decisive action, saying women must be free to live and work without fear.
Last week, the Malawi Police Service announced the arrest of a 25-year-old man suspected of involvement in Dr. Chomo's murder.
The matter was also discussed in Parliament on Thursday, where some Members of Parliament proposed providing security for people working in critical public service sectors.
